Breaking: SLC officially named host city of 2034 Olympics!

[MDUte]

Rice-Eccles Stadium will once again become Olympic Stadium!

The 2034 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games are coming back to Salt Lake City!!! 🙌🙌🙌

We can’t wait to welcome the world back to the @UUtah!! #GoUtes | #SLCUT2034 pic.twitter.com/IclqkZuVse

— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) July 24, 2024

[Uteanooga]

The Olympics were a lot of fun the first time around. Big productions and an incredible vibe being the center of world’s attention.

If I were to be a Debbie downer- the Olympics started the era of overcrowding in SLC ski resorts. Traffic in Little and Big Cottonwood is a mess. Parking reservations have improved things a bit but it is still a far cry from when we could access some of the best skiing in the world with ease. The Olympics bring long-term recognition and permanently increased tourism.

More attention, more visitors, more skiers, more traffic, more time on the road and less time on the slopes- ugh.

Ah well. I’ll try to have a great time experiencing the games again.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

Well said. I was fortunate to enjoy the 60s and 70s before Utah was discovered. Growth is a negative in Utah at this point. Ask anyone from Denver.

[AlohaUte]

Don’t tell anyone, but this is why I love Idaho. It really hasn’t been discovered yet.

[GameForAnyFuss]

Overcrowding and traffic at the LCC/BCC resorts are merely a symptom. The actual problem is that none of those resorts are willing to put a cap on skiers and riders. That’s why you get the red snake running up and down the canyons, and then 45 minute lift lines once you actually arrive.

I mean, I get it. That’s capitalism. When people decide that the product is not worth the cost, they will stop buying the product, but until then, the resorts are going to take every last customer they can get.

I was an instructor at Solitude for many years. I loved it. The reason I quit was because I was tired of leaving work at 4:30 and not getting to my house in SLC until 8:00. Now I work at Deer Valley – where they do have a cap – and I’m home in a half hour. No, DV does not have the snow or the terrain of any of the BCC/LCC resorts. But it’s worth it for me to have a quick commute and 2-minute liftlines. In capitalism, the consumer gets to decide…and I made my decision. Maybe others will make the same decision I did. Those who don’t will continue to have the BCC/LCC headaches. To each his own I guess.

[Tony (admin)]

I skied Alta 59 times last season and I never had a 45 minute line, except once perhaps during Christmas when Supreme was closed and everyone went to Sugarloaf. The only bad red snakes were on days were the canyon had avalanche control or it was closed and opened. Parking reservations and upgraded high speed lifts have made things BETTER than they were decades ago. I ski my ass off and go home at 2 or 3 tired and happy. If you wait until 4 on a snowy day, you’ll have a red snake going down, but that’s a choice.

[NarfUte]

And if Snowbird goes fully reserved parking, the morning drive up the canyon will be completely fine

[Tony (admin)]

Wish they would. And then a few tweaks to the road. Won’t take much.

[Uteanooga]

Without capitalism there would not be ski resorts or ski equipment and we would not know how to ski. Perhaps you would have some home-made cross country gear. You certainly would not have access to high speed quad lifts and the phenomenal gear we all use now. Blaming capitalism for our recreational frustrations rings a bit empty.

[GameForAnyFuss]

I’m not blaming capitalism – I’m praising it. Just pointing out that the best thing capitalism gives to both businesses and consumers is choice. When you compare the pros of skiing the Cottonwoods (terrain, snow) to the cons (traffic, parking, liftlines), we each get to decide whether the pros or cons win out. In my case, the cons won and I made a change. And I will stick by my choice until the Cottonwoods resorts change their choice and force me to reevaluate again.

[Tony (admin)]

If what’s important to you is your commute, then sounds like you made the right choice. But comparing DV and Alta is not a good comparison. Different terrain. Different access. Different clientele. Different price points. Different weather conditions… so many factors that are not the same.

I don’t look at any delays in LCC as a headache. I look at them as a byproduct. They are the result of the resorts being located at the end of the most avalanche prone road in the entire world. Why is that? Because that canyon magically gets s**tpiles of incredible snow and the slopes are steep. That’s my recipe right there. Steep and deep. I’m not into groomers on blues and greens. I’m into steep powder runs and I’m perfectly happy getting up early to wait in line for first tracks a few times a year when there’s a big dump.

[GameForAnyFuss]

Ironically, I ski far more pow at DV than I ever did at Solitude. Too much competition among good all-mountain skiers at Solitude (and many more Ikon wankers who think they can ski too). While all the middle-aged moms and stock brokers enjoy the groomers at DV, guess what I get to do?

[Uteanooga]

*Most avalanche prone in the lower 48. Alaska gets lot of snow, has a lot of steep mountains, and a lot of avalanches. Who knows what is happening in the Himalayas etc.

But yeah- LC is it. Ski paradise. Except for the traffic. Fine point on the timing though- if you get up early enough you can get up the mountain.

[Yergensen]

So, RES upgrade on whose dime?

[MDUte]

I hope they have some really nice stadium enhancements they’re planning for! 10 years gives plenty of time to really take RES to a new level.

[TruckStopTerrors]

I hope so too. I’m very curious what the plans might be. I doubt they add seating, but who knows?

[MDUte]

Yea my preference would be enhancements to make the stadium nicer vs expansion. In a dream world, my wish list would include: 1) redo East/West stands with upper and lower decks, premium suites and press box row in the middle, and a new upper concourse to relieve all of the congestion; 2) knock down the Fieldhouse and redo the NEZ to create a similar rooftop patio area like the SEZ with another gigantic video board; 3) modern facade around the stadium to give RES an iconic look. For ex) for the main West side entrance, incorporate a massive Drum & Feather Logo in the center overlooking the entrance similar to Autzen Stadium’s “O”. I’m not a fan of the current U’s they’ve slapped onto the towers that support the press box. We can do a lot better than that in terms of branding IMO. Those are relics from the days of the bouncey house entrance.

[ukiyoronin]

Number 2 on your wishlist is my number 1. That would be so cool. Those tiny video boards over there just look tacky and are basically useless imo.

[MDUte]

Couldn’t agree more. I believe Harlan has plans to replace those small useless video boards with 2 larger useless video boards…if so, I think this will be a big waste of money. There’s a large population of Utah fans who feel a connection to the stupid U-T-A-H sign on the fieldhouse because it was an idea that came from the fans and the money was raised by the fans as well (mostly from Keith Van Horn…I believe all in all it cost $15K). Anyway, I get that it was an organic idea and all but c’mon people…we’re really going to choose a nothing U-T-A-H sign that cost $15K over an incredible NEZ edition and gigantic $15M kickass video board?! Really?!! I don’t get it.

[homer]

I’m gonna get down voted, but

1 If MLB comes to town, expect ceremonies downtown at the new stadium

2 Concourse infrastructure, wifi improvements, should come before any seat expansions. Yes, I understand East side revision and concourse improvements might be inclusive.

For a two week show, I doubt hundreds of millions of $$$ are justified. Last time RES was pretty sketchy. Not now. Add some temp seats if RES is used.

3. If the East side is redesigned, existing season ticket holders will get royally screwed. Harlan will take the chance to shuffle folks around to give new $$$ the seats others like me have had for decades. I’m 100 against it.

Besides, with the quakes hitting CFB, who knows if it will stay popular?

And finally, back to 1:Ryan is gonna try to leverage 2034 as a springboard for aquiring SLC MLB. If successful, he WILL get his way about using a downtown MLB stadium for 2034.

[Utesbyfive]

They put up large temp bleachers over South Campus drive last time. That’s where I sat for the opening ceremony dress rehearsal.

[AlohaUte]

Except the MLB stadium will not be downtown. It will be west of I-15 between downtown and the Airport.

[PhiladelphiaUte]

I know the trend nationwide has been going to “downsizing” stadium capacity, but there’s another trend that’s been going on in SLC over the past 14-yrs. And that’s “sold out stadiums”. 84 consecutive games. Maybe nationwide, they hadn’t been selling out, so they’d opted to downsize, but that doesn’t necessarily mean their trends are applicable to Utah. Oregon increased their stadium size…

…and attendance went UP! Throughout our tenure in the Pac-12, Utah and Oregon had been noted for having the most active fanbases, sellout crowds, and loudest stadiums. Crowd noise is a huge asset for a Home team, and if the Olympics are throwing money at RES, let’s make some more noise.

The last time the Olympics came to SLC, RES capacity increase ~ 10K. And attendance went up. So….let’s try adding another 10K. The current average capacity in the BigTen is ~ 72K. Even with another 10-15K, we’d still rank in the bottom half, but it’s better than being 3rd from the bottom. If we’re serious about flirting with the BigTen, we’re going to need keep acting like we belong.

AAU? Check.
Competitive football? Check.
Strong brand? Check.
Stadium capacity? Needs improvement.

GO UTES!!!

[AlohaUte]

Tax payer

[High Uintas]

So Ryan Smith couldn’t get “The Utah Winter Games” approved. LOL

[Yergensen]

Ryan is currently agonizing over branding his hockey club. That guy can’t brand for sh!t.

[Central Coast Ute]

Hope he does better rebranding the hockey team than he did the Jazz…

[Tony (admin)]

Where are we going to put the 2nd cauldron? LOL

[MDUte]

Love the jealousy thread already dropped on ClownBoard haha!

TSPP fans’ reactions to the Olympics

[Tony (admin)]

I just can’t bring myself to go there.

[Charlie Foxtrot]

Ugh, I don’t know how to feel about this. Living in Millcreek and having a job that has offices on the University of Utah campus, the potential construction nightmares loom large. Since the U joined the PAC-12 the campus has been under constant construction. They are talking about upgrading and adding to TRAX and running a line into the research park area.

Given the Olympics has now been awarded to SLC all funding obstacles for anything in the valley or any venue locations will go out the window. I’m glad that my job involves project work and I have the option to work from home a majority of the time. For the limited amount of time that I am on campus, parking is a nightmare. I even have an A pass so I don’t have to compete with students, but it doesn’t matter as we now have to fight with hospital employee parking.

The University has moved a ton of their IT assets off of campus and put them in downtown office space. My organization has talked about having off campus warehouse space and possibly office space as well (Education and government Internet Service Provider). I hope we go that direction if construction on or around campus is going to get crazy as a result of the Olympics award.

[homer]

I had an A pass when I TA’d and worked in a Bio lab in the 80’s

A parking even then was tough.

[Charlie Foxtrot]

Well let me just say this, between 2003 through 2014 or so I could reliably find A parking spots within a 10 minute walk to my building any time of day. The eastern side of the campus across from the hospital was sparsely populated and when they got rid of the old student housing it was mainly nothing but parking. Since that time A parking stalls within that 10 min radius have been steadily reduced by at least 60% possibly more. Even with a 7 level parking structure 3 min away, where I have access to 75% of the parking spaces it hasn’t helped. Also within that radius 7 buildings have been built along with track and field, softball stadium, and two soccer fields, all of which used to be various parking lots.

The main problem is hospital employee parking. Their parking also allows them to use A spots. 2 multilevel parking structures, as well as 1 just west of Primary Children’s hospital are not enough to keep them out of A spots even as far west of the Engineering buildings. It’s super frustrating. TRAX tripples my commute time and the express bus down foothill is almost as bad by the time you find a shuttle that will get you anywhere near my building.

[SteelUte]

I’m also on the Grumpy old man train here. I see this as bringing in more and more people to this now crowded area. I see it as a heavy tax burden on our citizens for a two week international party. The amount of growth this state has had these past 20 years is mind blowing. Some of it is good, some of it is too much. If I’m still around in 2034, I may go to an event or two with my family, but I’m not excited about it. Pass.

[The Miami Ute]

The Olympics does nothing for me and I’m not really sure what it does for the SLC area. When it’s all said and done, I highly doubt that the event will leave the city and state in the black. Yeah, I’m sure that someone will make money off the deal but I’m also sure that this will be another example of socializing the costs and privatizing the profits. There are very good reasons why every cycle that passes there are less and less cities willing to compete to host the Olympics, the main one being that they are just not worth it. Oh, one other thing…the Olympics requires a lot, and I mean a lot, of people to do unpaid, volunteer support. Maybe that worked in 2002 but I highly doubt that it’ll work in today’s society.

[AlohaUte]

Well 2002 was a huge success for the state. It isn’t likely 2034 will meet that level of success, but it may still be successful.

[High Uintas]

Salt Lake City is set up perfectly for the Winter Olympics. The proximity of the mountain venues to the city venues and Salt Lake International is unique. Salt Lake doesn’t have to undertake a massive building campaign to host the Olympics as most of the infrastructure is already in place.

I understand the desire of many to keep Salt Lake a secret but that ship has sailed. The 2002 games, the Utes in the PAC-12 and the area continually landing near the top of “Most Desirable” city lists has drawn a lot of attention. The area will continue to attract businesses and people looking for an outdoor-friendly lifestyle. The Olympic Games plays perfectly into this perception and will be a billion dollar 3-week advertisement for the city.

[The Miami Ute]

Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. You’re absolutely right that Salt Lake City is no longer a secret, so what’s the point of hosting the Olympics? To me it pure overkill at this point. Even without the Olympics, tons of tourists will still come and tons of people will continue to move to Utah. It’s not like February is a slow month in Park City or any of the local ski resorts. As the Romans used to say at the start of any investigation, “cui bono” or “who benefits.”

[Gugstanley]

Maybe they put suites and press box on the top of the east side. The concourses need to be pushed out.

[AlohaUte]

Get off my lawn!!!

[Utah#1]

#1 PRIORITY, upgrade and expand RES!!! Install another 20,000 seats or build a brand new football stadium! I know both are probably far-fetched ideas, but wouldn’t hurt.

[Utah#1]

#1 PRIORITY, upgrade and expand RES!!! Install another 20,000 seats or build a brand new football stadium! I know both are probably far-fetched ideas, but wouldn’t hurt.

[Utah#1]

#1 PRIORITY, upgrade and expand RES!!! Install another 20,000 seats or build a brand new football stadium! I know both are probably far-fetched ideas, but wouldn’t hurt.

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